


Wild Embrium

by ThroughTheEluvian



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Mulan (1998)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Mulan (1998) Fusion, Disney, Dragon Age: Inquisition Spoilers, F/M, Haven (Dragon Age), Mulan/Dragon Age, Unrequited Crush, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-14
Updated: 2018-06-02
Packaged: 2019-04-22 21:50:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14317890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThroughTheEluvian/pseuds/ThroughTheEluvian
Summary: An attempt at mashing up the Mulan storyline and Dragon Age Inquisition. To do this I had to adjust the gender and race attitudes in the games, because I am aware that many elven women serve in the Inquisition from the beginning of the game.Vanni is an ordinary village elf who wishes to join the Inquisition to help establish peace and see a bit more of the world. She leaves behind the calm life in her village not far from Haven just to be handed a broom and a bucket, denied the opportunity to prove herself useful. She debates giving up and returning home, when an unexpected opportunity presents itself.(The relationship tags are a bit confusing, because the relationships won't be as simple and I do not want to give away who the OC ends up with. But each tag will be given attention. I just don't want to "make empty promises" and let you down if you came looking for a particular pairing.)





	1. Blind Determination

**Author's Note:**

> Hey lovely reader!  
> Thank you for deciding to give this Mulan/DA mash-up a chance. This is my second attempt at writing this story. The first version was somewhat successful here but it needed a lot of editing, so hopefully this one will please as well. 
> 
> Wild Embrium is not connected to my other work "The Two that Lived", even though I used the same names for some characters. Vanni might make an appearance in the other story, but won't be involved in any of the romance plots. 
> 
> If you have read my first version of Wild Embrium, thank you for giving it a chance again! You are amazing. I may have changed the plot a bit and adjusted some of the characters. So the ending will probably be somewhat different from the first version. (shh no spoilers for the new readers). 
> 
> As always, every hit, kudo and comment is greatly appreciated and keeps me motivated to write. Any feedback is welcome. I am just an amateur writer, so advice or complaints or praise goes a long way with me.

“What do you mean you’re joining them?” Her sister gawked at her from behind the linens she just hung up. “You’re not serious, are you?” She pressed, her fingers wrinkling the fabric nervously.

“I am serious. I am joining the Inquisition. They need any help they can and I want to join their ranks.” Vanni straightened out her sheet and blew a strand of hair out of her face.

“They won’t take you!” Her younger sister crossed her arms, eyebrows knitted into a frown.

“And why wouldn’t they?” Vanni imitated her.

They looked nothing alike. Vanni’s younger sister was petite and had rich golden brown curls, that often hid her sharp ears. Only her large almond shaped green eyes gave away that she was not a human. Vanni had a lean but not very feminine figure, her hair was a dark shade of brown that grew in straight dense strands. She had a plain face, sharp nose and colourless cheeks. If it was not for their eyes, it would be hard to see any family resemblance.

“You’re an elf. They’d assign you to cleaning and serving around. You may aswell stay here to do that.” A smug smile appeared on her lips.

Vanni looked down at her feet and picked up her basket of laundry. “I can still try.” She answered defiantly after a moment.

“Why do you even insist on joining them? What are these shems to you?” Her sister followed her carrying her own basket, then she stopped and laughed. “It’s because of the handsome commander of theirs. Is it not?”

Vanni’s cheeks flushed at the memory of the commander marching men through their village and she walked on, not answering.

“It is! Oh, but Vanni, being his maid might bring you closer to him than being a recruit. As a recruit you might not even come close to him. But as a maid, cleaning his quarters…”

“By the dreadwolf! Ayleen, that is not why I want to join. Can’t you see the hole in the sky? Have you not heard of the templars and apostates fighting in the forests?” Vanni turned sharply to glare at her sister.

Ayleen paled for a moment, then shrugged and walked ahead of Vanni. “They still won’t take you as a recruit. Elf women are probably given brooms or ushered into the kitchens. Besides, you’ve never held a sword in your life.”

\---

The sun was long gone but a green light still illuminated the world behind her window. The hole in the sky had stopped growing, but it was not getting any smaller, and a few times a day she still could see it flicker as if threatening to expand again. Vanni turned her head to look around the room. Ayleen was deep asleep, murmuring something under her breath and the rest of the house was silent. Carefully, Vanni slipped out of her bed and opened the chest at its foot. The leather armor she had exchanged for a week’s worth of hunt looked beaten and used, but it would have to do. Slipping into it she stood in front of the mirror on Ayleen’s side of the room and sighed. The armor fit her, but she looked awkward in it, like a child playing pretend. The plain girl that stared back at her did not look ready to fight demons. Ayleen was right, they’d just assign her to cleaning duty. Steadying herself he shook off the doubts and grabbed her travelling pouch.

\---

Vanni arrived at the camp in Haven with sunrise. Luckily, the roads leading from her village to Haven were clear and the Inquisition soldiers were already stationed along it. She received odd looks from some when she asked for directions, but no one had questioned her motives.

When she finally reached what was left of Haven she was overwhelmed by the amount of people already gathered there. With little difficulty she found what seemed to be a line of people who have also just recently arrived, waiting to talk to the uniformed man holding a stack of papers. While waiting, she took a moment to finally look around properly.

Haven was smaller than she had anticipated. People from her village who returned from their pilgrimage to the Temple of Sacred Ashes made it sound like a majestic place, somehow inspiring and enlightening. Yet what she saw was a makeshift army camp sprawled over a small settlement that circled a simple chantry. She felt nothing but anxiety. The green hole in the sky was much closer here than back in her village. And green light occasionally flickered through the dark clouds that covered the sky.

The noise of an argument directed her attention back to the chantry where crowd had gathered. And from where she stood she could see a division in the crowd.

People wearing robes and men in templar uniforms stood opposing each other, and standing in the middle of the conflict she caught the glimpse of the very man that had caught her attention in her village. Commander Cullen stood his ground and made attempts at calming the situation, being mostly disputed by a man dressed in the chantry’s robes. Just as Vanni thought he was about to lose his temper, a horn sounded through the shouting and with the sound of hooves a silence settled over the crowd. All eyes were on the group that arrived on horseback, fixating on the elven woman leading it.

Vanni herself stared in silent amazement. The elf was dalish, her vallaslin decorating a freckled face that she could only be jealous of. The serenity of the woman’s presence was contrasted by the wildly vibrant ginger hair tucked into elaborate braids.

“It’s the Herald of Andraste.” Someone in the group she stood with whispered.

“An elf as the chosen of Andraste? Nonsense!” Someone else protested.

“It is true. She stopped the tear in the sky for growing bigger. I saw it with my own eyes.” The first voice insisted.

“See the markings on her face? It means she believes in the dalish gods. She cannot be the Andraste’s chosen.” A third voice interrupted.

Vanni watched the elven woman, taken by her foreign appearance, and she gasped slightly when she noticed the staff on her back, but had no time to contemplate about the woman being a mage because a man dressed in an Inquisition uniform was approaching them.

“Names?” He barely looked up from a stack of papers he held. One by one they listed their names, and only when it came to Vanni, the man looked up at her.

“Not on the list. Who do you serve?” He looked her over and shuffled through the papers again.

“I don’t serve anyone in particular ser, I come from a village east from here. Came to offer my service to the Inquisition.” Laina felt her knees grow weaker and palms sweat. He looked up again, measuring her for a moment.

“Go find quartermaster Threnn, she will give you instructions and equipment. Tell her Corporal Tally sends you.” The man pointed her towards a tent. Vanni’s excitement threatened to break through her serious face as she nodded and followed his directions.

Soon she reached a woman whose face was sharp and cold, she barely looked at Vanni and started talking, “If you’re here to clean, Hess can get you a bucket and a broom. Anyone calls you a knife-ear you come to me.” Her voice was flat and sounded as if she had said that sentence too many times.

“No. I was sent by Corporal Tally to pick up equipment.” Vanni protested.

“Yes, I assumed that much. Hess. Broom and bucket.” The quartermaster looked impatient, gesturing to a young man standing by a pile of equipment.

Vanni sighed defeated and nodded, willing herself not to let the tears stinging her eyes flow, her sister’s voice taunting her in her mind. She had to find a way to convince them she could be of more use than as a servant. If they’d only give her a chance.


	2. Chapter 2

Vanni finished scrubbing the metal tub in the corner of the room, her face twisted into a scowl. The three beds have been made, floors sweeped, and the hearth cleaned out and relit.  Standing up and stretching, she looked around the room before finding herself running her fingers over the templar armor left on one of the beds. She traced the flaming sword, wondering why the armor had been left there. 

“I used to take pride in that symbol,” A heavily accented voice spoke up from behind her, cold wind pressing into her back before the door closed again. 

Vanni jerked away from the armor, afraid she would be accused of contemplating theft, and picked up her broom again, keeping her head low as she looked at the man dressed in an inquisition uniform who just entered. Unlike the other inquisition soldiers she had seen running around the camp, his uniform was significantly more elaborate, with metal plates covering more of the thick fabric. She assumed it meant he was a higher ranking soldier. Perhaps because he belonged to the templars. 

“Don’t worry, I don’t mind.” He smiled a bit, removing his helmet, letting curls of messy black hair fall around his freckled face. “Are you new? I don’t believe I have seen you here before.” 

“Yes ser, my name is Vanni.” She bowed before meeting his eyes properly. “They assigned me to this hut. After I was denied joining the Inquisition’s ranks.” She added somewhat bitterly. 

“Mikhael,” He nodded in response, the gentle smile still on his lips. “I am sorry to hear that Vanni. I wish I could help you somehow, but that is beyond my authority.” He began unstrapping his sword and unbuckling bits of armor. “Most of the elven women in our ranks have been sent from local nobles that are sympathetic to the Inquisition’s cause. Or have been personally recruited by Sister Leliana.” He explained with sympathy. 

“Is there nothing I can do to prove myself?” Vanni helped him put away the armor he took off.

“Not that I know of. The Commander is overseeing training of the unskilled recruits we have when he is not needed at the war table, but right now we do not have spare men to dedicate to training larger numbers.” He removed the last piece of armor and stretched, revealing bandaging around his chest.

“But if I could only show what I know… I am good with a bow. Maybe it could convince them.” She pressed a bit more. 

“Your dedication is admirable Vanni.” He smiled, sitting down on his bed, clearly tired. “Perhaps I could try-” 

A knock on the door interrupted him and before he could say anything, it opened, letting the cold air in again, making Vanni shiver and wrap her  thick shawl tighter around her shoulders. They both turned to see the two young men who entered. 

“Davin. What are you doing here?” Mikhael stood up again, looking at the human boy, barely of age, then glancing at the elf behind him, who looked uneasy and haggard but straightened up to properly salute Mikhael. 

“At ease. Explain yourselves.” He frowned. 

“We need your help, Mikhael. Or advice. Or...something.” The human boy started, his voice accented in the same odd but pleasing way as Mikhael’s and he appeared completely unbothered by addressing a higher ranking soldier. 

***

“Are you sure this will be convincing?” Vanni looked at the three men standing around her. 

She hesitantly threw the long braid of dark brown hair into the hearth, then tied up her remaining hair  before fixing the slightly large inquisition uniform she was now dressed in. 

“Try the voice again,” Mikhael instructed her, not hiding his mild amusement. 

“I am Teaven Dunn, ser. Sent by Baron Kinloss.” She pulled out the rolled up parchment that the real Taeven had given her, trying to keep her voice a few tones lower than usual.

“That was better. And don’t forget what we told you about posture.” 

“Yes, ser.” Her voice slipped, coming out in a cacophony of tones. 

The three men erupted in laughter again, though Taeven seemed to laugh nervously tugging at the plain linen shirt he now wore. Vanni smiled a bit, but mirrored Taeven’s anxiety. 

She cleared her throat and tried again, “Yes, ser.”  

“Alright. I’ll take you to the training grounds.” Mikhael pulled on a thick cloak, opening the door for her. “And you two… don’t get us exposed. This can cost me my position and Vanni her freedom.” He looked at the two seriously and let the door swing shut. 

Vanni attempted to mimic his posture and manner of walking, muttering under her breath a bit to practice the deeper voice.

“So, um, is Davin your…” She spoke out loud again, still trying to maintain a less feminine voice. 

“Brother, yes.” He smiled, as they walked down stairs towards a gate. “We both followed Knight Captain Rylen here after Commander Cullen offered him a position with the Inquisition.” He explained briefly. “The Starkhaven templar order was no longer an option for us.” 

She nodded wistfully, trying to piece together what he talked about. Naturally, she knew of Kirkwall. The news of what happened there had reached even her secluded village, but Starkhaven was a foreign name to her.

The clashing of metal and loud voices soon surrounded them as the large gate was opened for them, revealing an army camp on the edge of training grounds. Only a few uniformed people appeared to be sparring, most seemed to be setting up tents and talking amongst themselves. 

“Seems you are not too late. These must be the new recruits.” Mikhael spoke up. But then suddenly stopped and straightened up into a salute. Vanni tried to mimic the motions, a bit late and not quite as precise. And when she looked up to see why they had stopped, her chest tightened. Partly because she feared her disguise would be seen through straight away, but also because the Commander’s eyes briefly met hers. 

“Sergeant. What are you doing on your feet? I thought you were told to rest. That injury looked quite serious.” The Commander frowned, but gestured for them both to relax.

“I will, Commander. I just brought a new recruit.” Mikhael explained, nodding to Vanni. 

The Commander’s attention shifted to her again, “I see. What’s your name recruit?”

“Taeven Dunn, ser.” She managed to keep her voice steady, but answered too tensely, earning herself a curious look. “I was sent by Baron Kinloss, ser.” She began pulling out the parchment, but fumbled with it and dropped it. 

The Commander watched her with curiosity, a crease on his forehead. Mikhael shifted uncomfortably, clearing his throat to redirect the Commander’s attention. “If you don’t mind ser, I’ll take my leave.” 

“Of course.” 

Vanni straightened up, handing the parchment to the Commander, which was now soaked, with ink bleeding and making the words hard to read. The Commander read through it, glancing up at Vanni with some suspicion but nodded eventually, rolling up the parchment. “Alright Taeven. Get yourself a tent, training starts at sunrise.” 

He then walked off, leaving Vanni breathing heavily to calm herself down. He didn’t seem to have see through her disguise. Or did not care enough to say anything. 

 


End file.
